Electric lamp



May 22, 1934. B PATCHE 1,959,638

ELECTRIC LAMP Filed Dec. 31,

Patented May 22, 1934 .Nirso srA'rss ELEcrarc LAMP Application December31, 1931, Serial No. 584,029

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in electric lamps. It relatesparticularly to electric lanterns of the type employing two lamp bulbsin circuit with a battery carried in the lantern. One or" th objects ofmy invention is to provide novel means by which either bulb may beplace-d in closed circuit with the battery while the other bulb is inopen circuit with the battery, and by which both bulbs at the same timebe placed in open circuit with the battery, whereby but one the bulbscan be lighted and kept illur and thus prolong the eiiective life of thebattery.

A further object of my invention is to proout of order, and which iseiiicient in its operation.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the prefer c embodimentof my invention,

Fig. l is a reduced side elevation, partly broken away, of an electriclantern provided with my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the lantern, partly in section on the line2-2 of Fig. 1, enlarged, the lamp bulbs being omitted.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the lowerportion of the body of the lantern, th bulbs being omitted.

d is an enlarged bottom view of the body, part or the wire base beingshown in cross secion.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom view of the false bottom and partssupported thereby, the bulbs being omitted.

Fig. 6 is an edge view of the oscillatory circuit controlling member.

Fig. 7 is a section on the arcuate line 7-7 of Fig. 2 showing portionsof the oscillative ring member and of the false bottom.

Fig. 8 is a top view of the circuit controlling 43 ring member, reduced.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit employed.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts in thedifferentv views.

1 designates the body of the lantern supported by the usual wire basemember 2 and having an open top normally closed by a screw cap 3 andadapted to receive a battery cell 4, the conductive upper end of whichforms the negative terminal engaged by a coil spring 5 which isconductively connected with the cap 3, the latter and the body 1 beingmetal.

The lower end of the battery cell i has its positive terminal restingagainst and conduc tivei connected to a vertical rivet 5 which extendscentrally through and is insulated from a false bottom 6 with which thebody 1 provided. The rivet 5 extends downwardly through an insulationplate 7 at the under side of the also bottom 5 to which it is secured bythe LL 5 through the intermediacy of a transverse conductive plate 8 atthe under side of the bottom, Fig. 3.

to the under side of the insulation plate '7 and insulated from eachother are two conductive downwardly extending sachet mern- 9 and lorespectively supporting bulb receiving sockets ll. and 12 in which arerespectively fitted electrically connected therewith two cl ctric lampbulbs 13 and 1 the center end tcrr-iinals or which in contactespectively with two downward? extending contact pins 15 and 16, theends of which are attached to the transverse plate 8. The pin contacts15 and 16 are respec ely cer rally disposed with respect to the socketsl1 and 12.

The socket members 9 and is at their upper ends extend terally outwardlyon the insulation plate '7 "orzn two contacts 17 and 18 adapted to berespectively electrically engaged by two upwardly ex ending springcontact arms is and 2G with which a condo tive circuit con trolling mber 21 is provided.

circuit controlling me nber 21 is a ring horizontally disposed ve on theupper side of the bottom 22 of the body 1, Fig. 3. It encircles thesocket supporting members 9 and 10 and is provided with twodiametrically opposite operating arms 23 which respectively extenddownwardly through two slots 24 provided in the bottom 22, Fig. 4. Thering circuit controlling member 21 is oscillative from an open circuitposition, shown in solid lines 111 2, and in Fig. 4 to two closedcircuit positions, one of which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, inwhich position, the spring arm 19 electrically engages the contact l7 ofthe socket supporting member 9. In the other closed position of the ringmember 21, the spring arm 20 electrically engages the Contact 18 of thesocket supporting member 10, as shown in Fig. 9.

By grasping the operating arms 23, the circuit controlling ring membermay be turned to the open position, in which both bulbs 13 and 14 willbe placed in open circuit with the battery 4, and

neither bulb will be lighted. The ring member may be turned to theposition in which the contact arm 20 will engage the contact 18, Fig. 8,in which case the bulb 14 will be lighted. When the ring member 21 isturned to the position in which the spring contact arm 19 is engagedwith the contact 17, the bulb 13 will be lighted. Ihe bulbs 13 and 14can not both be lighted at the same time, so that the effectiveness ofthe battery 4 will be extended to a longer period than would be the caseif both bulbs were kept lighted at the same time,

In Fig. 9 is a diagram of the electric circuit employed. 7

The current will pass, when the contact arm 20 is engaged with thecontact 18, from the positive pole of the battery 4 through the rivet 5,constituting the conductor in Fig. 8, to the plate 8, thence through thecontact pin 16, bulb 14, socket supporting member 10, socket 12, contact18, spring arm 20, ring 21, and thence through the conductor 1,constituting the body 1, to the bat-. tery 4.

The lamp bulb 14 will thus be lighted. When the ring member 21 is turnedso that the spring contact arm 19 is engaged with the contact 1'7, as indotted lines in Fig. 2, the current will pass as has been described,from the battery 4 to the plate 8, thence through the contact pin 15,bulb l3, socket ll, socket member 9, contact 17 and spring contact arm19 to the ring member 21 and thence back to the battery 4 through theconductor 1, comprising the body 1 with which the ring member 21 hasconductive engagement, thus causing the bulb 13 to be lighted. When thering member 21 is turned to the open position shown in solid lines inFig. 2, the circuit will be broken through both bulbs 13 and 14, thespring arms 19 and both being disengaged respectively from the contacts17 and 18.

To releasably hold the controlling ring member 21 in the open position,shown in solid lines in Fig. 2, it is provided with two pairs ofdiametrically opposite projections 26 adapted to receive respectivelybetween them two springs fastened at one set of ends to the under sideof the false bottom 6, Figs. 2, 5, 8 and 7. By having the operating arms23 extending downwardly through the slots 24 of the bottom and locatedwholly within a circle having the same center and radius of said bottom,there is no liability of the clothing of the user of the lanterncatching either of the operating arms so as to shift them from thepositions to which they are adjusted.

By providing the false bottom 6 carrying the sockets 11 and 12 and thecontacts 15 and 16 respectively alined with the sockets and insulatedtherefrom, and by locating the operating contact,

making ring 21 oscillative between the bottom 22 and the false bottom 6,a self contained structure is provided which is simple, cheap to makeand assemble, and which eliminates side openings in the body.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the false bottom 6 is of inverted cup shape,and the contact rivet 5, which engages the bottom center terminal of thebattery 4, extends above the insulation between it and the false bottom6, and holds the insulation plate 7 tightly covering the central openingin the false bottom 6 through which the rivet contact 5 extends.

It will be noted that the socket members 9 and 10 with their contacts 18and 19 are both located under the false bottom 6 and are encircled bythe depending walls thereof, and that the only contact, the rivet 5,which is above the false bottom 6 has its upper end raised above andinsulated from the false bottom 6. By means of this construction if thebattery 4 should leak, as sometimes happens, the escaping liquid willnot effect a short between said contacts 18 and 19 and the conductiveplate 8 which is also at the under side of and encircled by the falsebottom 6, but with a smallleakage the liquid from the battery can seepout around the periphery of the false bottom 6 and escape through thecentral opening in the bottom 22.

As shown in Fig. 3, the ring circuit controlling member 21 isoscillatively against the bottom 22 by the depending walls of the falsebottom 6.

I do not limit my invention to the structure shown and described, asmany modifications, within the scope of the appended claim, may be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:-

In an electric lamp, the combination with the body of the lamp having abottom provided with a slot, two bulb receiving sockets of conductivematerial, and two conductors respectively connected with said socketsand insulated from each other and each provided with a contact, of acircuit controlling conductive ring encircling said I sockets andthrough which said sockets extend and rotative on said body and havingtwo contact arms which when said ring is in one. position are bothdisconnected from said contacts, and when said ring is turned to eitherof two other positions through said slot.

HENRY B. PATCHE.

